Durbin Statement On President Trump's Emergency Declaration

WASHINGTON—Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in order to circumvent Congress and access funds to build a wall on the southern border:

President Trump’s national emergency declaration serves one purpose and one purpose only: to fulfill his campaign promise to build a big, beautiful wall. While the President claims he wants to build this wall to stop the flow of drugs, his own Administration has stated that the vast majority of lethal narcotics that cross our southern border come through legal ports of entry. That is why our bipartisan agreement to fund the government provides additional funding for technology and Customs personnel – real solutions that will help stop the narcotics that are killing our kids.

Through his national emergency declaration, President Trump is continuing his fear-mongering approach to innocent families and children who come to our border fleeing persecution. President Trump’s national emergency declaration and his other power grabs are legally and constitutionally dubious and will be contested in the courts. I hope that Republicans who loudly and repeatedly challenged President Obama’s lawful exercise of his executive authority will be equally outspoken in condemning this lawless power grab by President Trump.